Palestine supporters once again rally in Wichita
WICHITA, Kan. (KAKE) - Palestine supporters once again lined the streets of Wichita, chanting their message of 'Palestine will be free.'
This is the second time in a month that people have rallied for Palestine in Wichita after hundreds showed up to make their voices heard in Old Town last month.
"People want to make sure that this war is stopped," said demonstrator Hussam Madi. "And that the genocide killings also need to be stopped."
Some came out simply to show support for a cease-fire.
For others, it was much more personal.
"My grandparents were born in Palestine, they were kicked out of Palestine during the 1948 War that occurred," said demonstrator Mohammed Khalil. "Now we're all here, not just because I'm Palestinian, but half of the community out here aren't Palestinian themselves, you'll find Americans, you'll find all types of ethnicities."
Calls for a ceasefire in Gaza continue to grow as the war between Israel and Hamas escalates in its second month.
They point to a poll from the Israeli Voice Index, which says Israelis are increasingly dissatisfied with how their government is handling the war.
"A poll taken in Israel just a couple days ago showed 76% of the Israelis are against this war," says demonstrator Mark Farha. "They want [Benjamin] Netanyahu to resign."
Among the demonstrators was Jens Kreinath, an anthropology professor at Wichita State University.
He said that he's familiar with the cycle of violence that repeats all over the world and wants to do everything he can to speak out against it.
"These conflicts are more than 100 years old," Kreinath said. "And we are repeating the same thing, what is happening today in Gaza, will impact three to four generations of people who are traumatized. And I think we need to make a difference each of us the way in which we kind of address the issues of state violence."
Protesters say they'll keep marching until a ceasefire happens in Gaza.